Darkness
by DemonSaya
Summary: AU InuxKag MirxSan Long ago a witch called the Daugther of Darkness was executed, now centuries later, the premonition that was spoken at that time is coming to pass and a new Daughter has been born in the Realm of Light.  A Daughter named Kagome.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: So, this idea sprung after reading The Black Jewels Trilogy for the eighth time. It's not a direct rip off, just loosely based on the Anne Bishop series. I like to think I changed it enough to make it interesting, and I hope that you all enjoy it. Arigatou gozaimasu_

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DARKNESS

_By: Chibi-no-Oneesan_

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Chapter 1

_They Who Look After Lost Children_

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It wasn't their fault. They were taught to fear that which is different. She didn't hate them, she didn't resent them, but she felt sad for that terrified existence in which they lived. The Children of the Light did not understand the Darkness. It was better that they didn't. Those who understood the Darkness were doomed to walk in the Shadowlands for the rest of their existence. It was the only place safe for those who had been touched.

She looked around her as people hissed and jeered from where she was bound, a sense of peaceful finality floating around her consciousness. She hadn't been touched. Not in the way Children of the Light and Children of the Shadowlands were.

She was different.

Which was how she'd come to be where she was.

"BURN HER! BURN THE WITCH!"

Smokey gray eyes peered out at the crowd of spectators. She forgave them. She forgave them in silence for their ignorance, for they'd cut out her tongue. She cried tears for them, cried out to the darkness that had birthed her to give them a second chance. Give them a daughter they could love and not fear. Let the next girl reach adulthood.

It wasn't their fault.

Her eyes met a pair of dark brown ones, eyes in the face of a young woman, barely older than she. Practically a child and not quite an adult. Unaffected by the fears in this world. She looked deep into her eyes, using all of her strength to push out an impression.

"Midoriko, evil child of the Darkness, you are henceforth sentenced to death so you may return whence you have come!"

The voice didn't distract her. She continued to push her strength towards that woman-child. What they said didn't matter. The darkness would hear her. She was it's only child. She was the Daughter of the Darkness, and she could command and use it in a way that no one else would ever be able to. They may have removed her tongue, but that didn't stop the magics forming around her.

She was strong enough for this.

Despite their torture, despite their attempts to weaken her.

Despite their attempts to sever her from the darkness.

She couldn't change what she was.

"Do you have anything to say on your own behalf?!"

She sneered at the man, taking her eyes off the girl. They knew well enough she couldn't speak. But there was nothing wrong with her mind. She had power enough for this. Power enough for this prophecy and to cast the web over the crowd. She had enough to touch the one person who didn't look upon her with hatred. Enough to send a spike of fear deeper into everyone who watched.

_Hear me._

The crowd went silent and she turned to face them.

_I may die here today. You may kill me. But you cannot destroy the darkness. The darkness is all consuming and all powerful. The day will come and the Daughter of the Darkness will return. One of you will still walk among the Children of the Light when that time comes._

Whispers went up in the crowd, people screamed and hugged their families. Midoriko simply turned her attention to that girl. _It will be you. You will serve the next._ She said directly to her, seeing the eyes widen and a small smile turned up her lips as they lit the branches that would become her funeral pyre. She felt the fire touch her skin but didn't flinch. She simply closed her eyes and tilted her head back. _I am Witch. I will return, and no mortal can stop me._

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Kaede woke with a start.

It had been going on half a millennium since she'd witnessed the events she'd just dreamed. Almost five hundred years since the prophecy speaking of another Daughter of Darkness. But nothing had happened so far, just the standard day to day in the Realm of Light. People no longer jumped at shadows and the blood-letting of those who'd been Touched had stopped more than four hundred years ago. She had narrowly escaped the slaughter, but her elder-sister hadn't been quite so lucky.

Things in both realms had been quite calm the past three hundred years, despite the rise of a new demon lord, who was actually one touched by Darkness, and was using those powers for ill. Enough people laid down before him that no one really noticed the edge that the Shadowlands had developed.

Kaede herself lived on the precipice between the two realms. Her small cottage was nestled on the edge, half in the Realm of Light, half in the Realm of Shadows. It's location gave her the ability to travel back and forth without trouble, and she was able to keep a greater eye out for the Daughter.

Three realms really existed in the world. The Realm of Light was really the only one most mortals cared about, since that was the one in which they spent most of their existence. It was bright during the day and dark at night, having four seasons. The only real residents of the realm were 'normal' animals and mortal humans. Few of those who had been born mortals and became immortal after being Touched by the Darkness, despite it not being a true immortality. They still died, they just lived significantly longer than others. Most of them fled to the Shadowlands.

The Realm of Shadows was the land of the demons, the land of mystical creatures, and where most of the Touched called home. It had a day and a night, but the day was short and the night was far darker than in the Realm of Light. It only had two seasons, a rather mild one and a bitterly cold one. It had taken on a nastier edge in the years since Naraku had taken over, and some of the demons were getting edgy. A few had even fled over the boundary and into the Realm of Light. Others had gone the other way and found themselves lost in the Darkness.

The Darkness was another story. It wasn't like the Realm of Light or the Shadowlands. People didn't dwell in the Darkness. It was a place that one could not exist. Or at least that's what everyone was told. In truth, if you went too far into the darkness, you could get lost, and you would die, certainly, but usually from starvation or lack of water. It was supposedly a place of cave-like darkness, where if you took only one step over the boundary, you'd become hopelessly entangled in the inky black air. The Darkness didn't have children. Not usually. Those who were Touched were usually called the Children of the Darkness. It was where their unusual powers came from, where they drew energy.

The Daughter of Darkness was a different story.

Kaede slowly climbed out of bed, her old bones creaking. She lit a candle, and stared out at the slowly lightening sky.

The Darkness had only one Daughter in written history. A girl named Midoriko. Kaede could remember the smoky gray gaze, the slight smile that she wore even as the flames engulfed her. She could remember the soft voice in her head. Yes, that girl was different. People Kaede had spoken to later, while acting as a doctor to those who had executed the girl a few scant years after her death, had told her things that seemed unbelievable.

She hadn't screamed as they'd tortured her. She didn't whimper when they cut out their tongues. She didn't look at them with hatred in her gaze. Never any anger. Always this passive kind of acceptance. As though she had known she was going to die. As she'd died, they said she'd whispered that she forgave them.

It would appear that the Darkness didn't feel the same way.

Within a year of burning the girl to death, a fever swept across the village. Everyone who had been involved with the torture or execution, even a few spectators had come down with it. Most had died months later.

Within five years of the execution, it became evident that she had been touched. Her gift of Sight would stretch out while she dreamed and the future would come to her. Never precise, the Sight wasn't that clear or kind, but it would give her hints that would make drastic sense a few days, even weeks later. After realizing that she'd been touched, she'd quickly fled the Realm of Light and found this cottage on the edge. She sent her mother a letter, telling them that she was fine and where she was. She also told them to burn the letters when they received them.

She saw her mother and sister periodically, but never her father. Her father deemed that she was a freak and never spoke to her again. Then, one day, she received a letter from her mother informing her that she would be sending her sister to live with her come spring. And a few days later, the night the first snow fell, Kaede dreamed of her sister and in the dream they'd embraced each other tightly and Kikyou had whispered something into her ear.

"Goodbye, little sister."

Kaede woke then, and found that her face was damp with tears. Later that day, she received an urgent message from her mother stating that her sister had been executed for being a witch. That was when she'd learned of another power she had. Casting intentions. She'd spent the day in bed, wishing the most ill thing she could think upon whoever had done the heinous deed and not two days later, received another letter from her mother, saying that her father had been stomped to death by a horse.

Her father had always been good with horses.

Kaede had put that information away and began casting intentions to cause good instead of harm. She dove into the darkness with her mind and called out to any children who may be lost, children as she'd been, children as her sister had been. She called them towards her and gradually her first students began to arrive.

All manner of people came to her. Demons, half-lings, mortals who'd been Touched. Even a Touched animal and mystic creature or two.

Through the centuries, she taught them things she knew and learned things she didn't, becoming one of the most well respected Witches to walk the Realms. Even the mortals in the Realm of Light had found that she was a person they could call upon if they needed to know something or even needed a doctor. But deep down, those mortals always hesitated at her door, always avoided physical contact with her.

Because she was a Witch.

"You're up early, Lady Kaede."

The male voice behind her drew her attention and she saw her latest pupil. The pitch colored hair fell in front of violet eyes, a gift from the Darkness. In his hand he carried a large gnarled walking stick that she figured was as much a weapon as something to help him walk. His face was still young despite his nearly fifty years on this earth. His tunic and denim pant were dusty from the road. His traveling cloak was worn and heavily patched. He looked like a drifter, without a care in the world. Right down to that boyish smile on his face.

"Indeed, Miroku." She agreed, nodding at him. "You as well, I see."

He removed his cloak, hanging it by the door. "I had a feeling," he said, moving to look out the window as well, "that if I came by, you'd be up and about."

"And your feelings are always right." She nodded. Kaede went silent for awhile, pondering the sky. What was the darkness trying to tell her this time? It never let it's messages be clear, as though it were trying to tease her with little scraps of information, to entice her into drifting too far into it and letting herself get lost amongst it's twisted grasp. "I dreamt a dream tonight." She said softly, watching the stars wink out.

Her pupil looked towards her sharply. "And what did you See, Lady?"

Not what she dreamed. What she Saw. Miroku knew quite well of her gift. Kaede was the sole reason Miroku was still alive today. Her Sight had saved him.

Miroku had been Touched as a child. He learned of it quickly, and just as soon as he had learned a few powers, started experimenting. One time while he was fooling around, he descended too far, too fast, and almost got trapped in the Darkness. Kaede had been reaching out when Miroku slipped past her and she only was just able to prevent the Darkness from making him it's own forever.

She'd quickly located his physical body and found his parents gathered around terrified. He'd been unconscious for several hours, but Kaede was able to ease him back into his body. That was when she'd discovered something rather distressing.

The Darkness hadn't just Touched him. It had left a Mark upon him.

The mark acted like a lure, and each time Miroku descended he ran the risk of not being able to return. He was the one she'd schooled the most fiercely in discipline and had always stressed that you did NOT dabble with the Darkness if you didn't want to become one of the Lost Ones.

Kaede looked slowly towards her student, a calm look on her face. "I Saw a memory. It was a warning, both threat and promise at once." She looked towards the sky once again and saw the sun peaking over the horizon. Yes, threat and promise was a good way to describe it. "The balance is changing." She said, squinting her ancient eyes.

"Dear woman, you speak in riddles." Miroku teased, sitting down in a chair. His eyes were yet wary. There was something troubled in his gaze. He watched his ancient mentor as she watched the sun rise above the skies.

Kaede had never seemed old to him. She was like the earth, ancient, sometimes mysterious, but not old. Even after living five hundred years, she still laughed, and sometimes he could see a youthful mischievous glint in the now glassy brown eyes. One had gone mostly blind and she now wore a patch over it to keep from unnerving any mortals she had to deal with. Her skin was heavily wrinkled and her knuckles were gnarled like the branches on a tree. Her back was hunched with age, but still, she only looked like she'd lived five or six decades, not five centuries.

She looked towards him, her eye knowing. "I have told you of the girl named Midoriko?" She asked softly, moving slowly towards the kitchen. She didn't speak further as she lit the stove, simply patiently waited for her best and strongest student to remember. She knew she'd told him. Several times when he was just a young boy. But it had been awhile since then, and it would take him some time to remember.

Miroku pondered the question. It wasn't just a question. It was almost a test. Of course he remembered the story of Midoriko, a girl who'd called herself the Daughter of the Darkness. A children's story, a fairy tale. Something told to children to teach them to not fear those who were Touched. "It's a children's story..." He said.

She clucked her tongue in impatience.

He flinched. It didn't take much to know when the woman was annoyed. That sound had been the heralding of more than a few hard lessons. "The Daughter of the Darkness." He said finally, and there was faint approval in her eye when she turned to face him. He watched her closely as she got a kettle and filled it with water.

The story had been his favorite as a child. She knew that. He could still remember, could still feel that same odd ache in his soul when he remembered the story. A desire to serve someone so powerful. To serve, to protect. It had been a child's dream. A dream that had faded over time. Yet, the mere mention of the Daughter of the Darkness caused those feelings once again.

How many others knew of the Daughter? How many others wished to serve her as well?

"More than a Fairy Tale, Miroku." She said softly. She set the kettle on the water. "I have not told you this, because it was not yours to know. But I sense that you will be in her inner circle, and so you deserve to know." She looked towards him, her wrinkles cast in sharp relief. "I was at Midoriko's execution."

He sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening. "Then...she did exist?"

"Indeed.." Kaede pulled down two cups, then fixed him with a look. It was hard to read. "It was on that day the darkness touched me." She got a far off look in her eye. "Y_ou will serve the next..._" She said softly. She continued to stare into nothing for a moment then turned an intense gaze on her student. "It was that day's events which I dreamed of last night."

Miroku stared at her in awed wonder. His thoughts were running a mile a minute at the possibilities of what that dream could mean. He was not afraid of the Darkness. It had never scared him. Even when he'd nearly slipped into it's inky black clutches when he was a boy of twelve, it hadn't frightened him. He lifted his gaze towards Kaede, an odd calm settling over him. "What will you have me do?"

A small approving smile turned up the corners of her lips. "You nothing, boy. Together or not at all. You're not the only one who has waited for this possibility to arise." She made them each a cup of tea and looked out the window, her eye twinkling with that mischief that made her look years younger than she was. "We will make a descent. We will send an impression."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "It should be today, while the dream is fresh." He said, his intuition flying. "I'll make preparations. There is a spot near here that I passed on the way. I thought it would be a good place to meditate." He paused glancing towards her. "When shall we proceed?"

Kaede turned towards him and arched an eyebrow. Such a silly question. Especially from one whose intuitive sense was far beyond her own. Her lips twitched a bit. "Why the Witching Hour, of course." She said, smiling at her student. "When else?"

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It was like a drum's pulse. It pulled at her and entranced her. An impression. She didn't really know how she knew that's what it was called, but she knew. The sun shone through the leaves in her families garden and she stared back up at it, her stormy gray eyes smiling.

Someone was calling to her.

This too, she knew without knowing. It was odd. She'd always felt things like that. Always she'd had this strange sense of knowing. It unnerved most of her family. It unnerved her brother. It unnerved people who were just visiting.

It unnerved them that she knew it unnerved them.

She was just a little different than them. She aged well enough like them. But there was something darker, something that frightened most of her peers.

She was used to the fear, but she didn't get it from everyone. Those who called her didn't fear her. Those who called her wanted to be with her. Most of her best friends had called to her.

Now someone else was calling. Not just a single person. And not just a tug. It was almost as though she were being forcefully pulled somewhere she'd never been. But at the same time, she could hear something inside her whisper that the time was not yet right.

The sound of her mother's voice washed over the garden. "Kagome! Come inside, it's getting cold."

Kagome sat up from where she lay on the bench and smiled faintly. No, now wasn't the proper time. But soon. Soon she would go and learn who was calling her this time. It was time to meet a new friend. It was time to learn to control that which had been her birthright.

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Violet eyes opened slowly, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. Her physical home was the Shadowlands, a prisoner in Naraku's hold. Yes, he had her body. But her heart belonged to the Lord of Demons and her mind had long since surrendered itself to the Darkness.

It's embrace was warm and loving, like her mother's had been. Like her beloveds had been.

A damp cloth gently stroked her face and she found gold eyes staring down at her. Eyes so like his fathers, eyes that belonged to her only son. When Naraku had raped her, she'd used her powers to extinguish the life that had immediately sprung up inside her. That forceful abortion had rendered her incapable of bearing any more children, but that didn't matter. The one that mattered had been born.

"Inuyasha..." She said softly.

A small smile turned up the boy's full pouting mouth. That smile never reached those beautiful golden eyes. "You haven't been eating again."

She caught his wrist in a tight grip and looked at him, her face serious. She knew this was one of her rare moments of lucidity. She had to tell him now, before she drifted away again. As it was, she could already feel herself slipping away on the dark tide. She dug her fingernails into his skin, looking up at him intensely. "She comes." She whispered.

He looked down at her startled. "Lady...?"

"The Darkness has birthed a child once again. It has put out it's Daughter and she will bring peace back to the realms..."

Eyes flashed with a longing. "You mean?"

"The Daughter of the Darkness has returned, and you will serve." She rasped, and slipped back into the welcoming arms of the Darkness.

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A candle flickered out and he didn't bother moving to relight it. It had been three hundred years since he'd stepped down from his position. Three hundred years since his wife and son had been stolen from him prior to Naraku assuming power over the region.

It seemed like a drop in the hat, and at the same time, it seemed like forever.

His golden eyes glowed faintly in the darkness and he stared out the dark window. The sun had long since set in the Shadowlands. The moon didn't shine here, so the darkness was complete. He didn't care, the darkness usually suited his mood better than the light. He'd been hidden away in his great castle for all these years, waiting for something to pull him from this mood.

He supposed he'd found that thing.

Sesshoumaru had been acting oddly, jumpy almost. His oldest, full demon son had taken charge of his business dealings in the Realm of Light many years ago, and as a result, he spent a great deal more time walking in that realm than this one. Something was bothering the demon and he wasn't entirely sure what.

Or he hadn't been.

Until he'd received a message from Lady Kaede, the Witch who lived on the border between realms. The short note was still clenched tightly in his hand and he took a steadying breath.

There had been talk in the realm about waves of power, foreign power that seemed to be almost purifying the creatures that had chosen to walk in shadows. Not destroying them, never that. But it put an ease in their hearts that had not been there since Naraku's reign began all those years ago.

_The Daughter returns._

Such simple words, but the weight of the meaning of that statement was startling. He had sequestered himself away in his study following that, doing as much research as he could stand. Kaede was strong, but at the same time, she was still very much a child in the ways of the Darkness. She was a fine teacher, but she would need help. She would need someone to help who walked closer to the darkness than she did.

That was why she'd sent the note.

He closed his eyes and a small smirk turned up the corners of his lips. It would be soon.

He would walk in the light again, with the Darkness.

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Miroku looked around the circle and sighed. When the Witching Hour struck, this area would be illuminated by the moonlight from the full moon. Kaede had been wise in selecting the time. The harvest moon was huge in the sky, just cresting the tops of the trees. It was bright orange, beautiful.

He couldn't think of a better time to send out an impression

Glancing up, he saw Kaede hobbling into the clearing. He could tell by the way she was carrying herself, her knee was bothering her, but there was that determined glimmer in her eyes. The night air was chilled, but that didn't matter. They would still send the impression from this spot. It had to be here.

Kaede stepped over the circle of salt and closed her eyes. She erected a sight and sound barrier quickly and efficiently, and as an added precaution, a barrier to repel curious eyes. There would be no interference during this. Her barriers were quite strong and very, very effective. When she opened her eyes, she found her student looking at her with calm acceptance. A glance overhead confirmed that soon they would have to begin. "You are ready?"

He smiled, nodding. "For this, always." He agreed, taking his place at the center of the circle. Kaede sat across from him and he rested his palms against hers. "Just make sure we don't sink too deep." The physical contact was a necessity. As long as she had contact, she could keep him from being pulled into the Darkness.

Amusement sparkled in Kaede's eyes and she nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let my best student fall into the Abyss.

Then, they closed their eyes and began their descent. Through the shadows at it's edge, they slowly drifted deeper into the inky black void and Miroku cast his net out. _We seek the Daughter of the Darkness-_

There was a sense of amusement in that darkness. He could feel something that he couldn't see and he knew they were being watched.

_Obviously. I was wondering when you'd come to visit._

Cautiously, Miroku sifted through the darkness again, always aware of Kaede's hands upon his. _We want to offer you knowledge, to help you use your gifts._

A faint giggle resounded through the darkness. Yes, whoever he was dealing with was definitely amused by him. _Silly. Knowledge is something I've always had._

Bemused, he tilted his head to the side. _Then let us offer our hands in friendship..._He ignored the warning that Kaede voiced and released her hands, feeling himself free-falling into the Darkness as he reached towards the voice. _Blood hell..._He realized too late what he'd done, but as he fell, he felt two hands catch his and he was being led from the Darkness.

_Silly male..._The voice said. _If you aren't careful, you'll walk the Abyss forever. Now go back where you belong, now. We'll meet when the time is right._

Miroku realized she was taking him completely back and seized. _At least give us your name? So we know where to find you?_

There was a little pause, and he almost sense the smile that turned up her lips. _I am Kagome._

And then she tossed him out.

He came to himself with a start, staring dumbstruck at the woman who was looking frantic in front of him. It took several minutes for him to catch his breath and he fell backward, staring up at the bright orange moon overhead. As he'd been heaved from the Darkness, he could remember catching the barest hint of smoky gray eyes. "She's just a child..." He rasped. "She was gone before I could fully locate her. I've got a name, though, and she is in the Realm of Light."

Kaede helped him sit upright and sighed heavily. "Miroku, if you ever do that again, I'm going to personally skin you and sell your flesh at the meat market." She said calmly. Then she took a steadying breath herself. "What is her name, boy?"

He smiled, lifting his face to the sky. His eyes winked shut slightly and he sighed. The name still rung in his mind. He could still see the shape of those mysterious eyes and hear the laughter in that young voice. "Her name is Kagome."

It was a start. She really existed, and she was walking the realms once again. Slowly, his face grew serious, a deep seeded worry formed in the pit of his gut. The girl was special. If they didn't find her and bring her into their fold quickly, she could be located by someone who would use her powers for ill. Or worse, someone who would simply destroy her and wipe her from the realm once again.

He stood slowly and helped Kaede stand, both still lost in their own thoughts although likely the thoughts were similar. Kaede had sent a note to Lord Inutaisho of the Shadowlands. He would help, for certain. Who knows who else would be drawn to the girl, who else had already been drawn towards her.

There wasn't a lot of time to work, but he would use his many resources to find her. They could not leave all of this simply to chance.

She was too special.

And they'd all waited so long.

Slowly, Miroku looked towards the harvest moon, wearing a serious expression. She was here. And he would serve. He would serve as part of her inner circle, protecting her from those who would harm her. And there was no doubt in his mind that there were many, who once they learned of her, would wish to harm her. Lucky for him that they'd found her first.

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AN: To those who have read the Anne Bishop series "The Black Jewels Trilogy", yes, this is loosely based off of that story. There will be a lot of parallels, but it will NOT be a direct rip off. If you opened this, thanks, if you've actually read this far, thanks a million. Now there's just one thing left. Click down on that little box in the bottom corner and let me know what you think. Comment and Critique is welcome, as are Flames. Like I said, I want to know whether or not you all like it. If not, hell, tell me anyways. I WANT to know! Anyways, this is the Little Big Sister signing out until next time!

Chibi-no-Oneesan


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: So, this idea sprung after reading The Black Jewels Trilogy for the eighth time. It's not a direct rip off, just loosely based on the Anne Bishop series. I like to think I changed it enough to make it interesting, and I hope that you all enjoy it. Arigatou gozaimasu_

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DARKNESS

_By: DemonSaya_

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Chapter 2

_She Who Walks in Darkness_

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Dusk had settled over the Shadowlands.

A wry smirk turned up those slightly pouting lips and his golden eyes stared across the rather ill-treated earth. Naraku exploited these lands and it disgusted him to no end. The rather strange and quite mad woman, Izayoi had spoken of something yesterday that had nearly knocked him flat on his ass when she'd said it.

Naraku didn't know yet. That half-breed wasn't as accustomed to the ebb and flow of darkness as others in the Shadowlands. He didn't let his hands get dirty by descending into those inky depths. He feared the darkness, he sent others instead. Strong ones to do his bidding.

Ones who would likely be executed if they'd said no.

But they would never tell Naraku if they sensed her presence in the darkness. Most of them would never even notice if they did. Most of them couldn't descend deep enough that they might feel her.

He, on the other hand, was a different story.

He lightly drug his black nails across the stones that framed the window. He was strong. Likely stronger than Naraku himself was. The man claimed to be his father, but Inuyasha was no fool. There was less of Naraku in him than there was of Izayoi. The woman, like Inuyasha himself, was a special kind of Witch. She'd been touched so deeply by the darkness that it was almost a part of her blood. She was one of the mortals who were Touched who were practically immortal due to their connection with the darkness. She would have been a force to be reckoned with if Naraku hadn't broken her on the tip of his spear prior to her reaching her maturity.

Naraku would have probably like to have tried to break him as well. Too bad for the sonuvabitch that he was strong enough to be a force long before he'd reached maturity. Naraku had tried once to slip under his mental barriers and break his power, but he'd received an abrupt mental bitch slap from the younger half breed and then Inuyasha had turned that fiery gold gaze on him and gave him his coldest smile.

Naraku hadn't tried that stupid trick since.

Despite the differences in their power, Inuyasha still wound up one of Naraku's bitch slaves. Due to a ring that had been placed on him when he was very young, which Naraku controlled and couldn't be taken off by just anyone. So, Inuyasha was stuck in this place that he hated, surrounded by more people he hated, with one or two whom he tolerated because if he didn't he'd probably just kill himself.

Izayoi was a different story.

He'd always had a strong bond to the woman, ever since he was a child, before she'd taken that final step into the darkness which she rarely was able to slip out of. She didn't take good care of herself when she was walking the paths through the darkness, so Inuyasha spent much of his time caring for her.

The night before, during her brief moment of lucidity, she'd spoken words that had both excited and terrified him. No one who was Touched by the darkness hadn't heard the stories of Midoriko, the Daughter of Darkness. Stories of a child so dark, she could walk the roads that twisted through the Realm. It had been a childhood dream to serve someone so powerful. Someone who could use their powers to bring peace back to the realms.

But he'd quickly learned through the centuries that dreams came to nothing, and hope had long since died. Years of Naraku's pet rulers using him in ways he didn't care to think, being passed from one to another through the realm, being treated as less than a person, despite being called Naraku's son. Evidentially the son of a ruler wasn't given the same respect as the ruler himself.

Not that Naraku was actually his father.

At a point in his life when he no longer believed in the fairy tale, he'd been told it wasn't really a story after all. That it was actually history. A history that was coming about for a second time. Five hundred years after the first Daughter had been executed by frightened humans, little piddly mortals who are untouched by the Darkness. A second Daughter.

Inuyasha felt anticipation and fear in equal parts.

A second Daughter had come and he would serve her. He would become a part of the sacred inner circle that formed around some people, and he would belong for the first time in his miserable existence. He closed his eyes to the raped land, lifting his face to the sky as stars began to freckle it. He, who was both demon and Touched by Darkness. He would serve.

One of those wicked little smirks turned up the corner of his pouting lips. But first. First, he'd have to escape this hell he was in.

And Izayoi. He'd have to get her out as well. It wouldn't do to leave the woman who'd protected him throughout his childhood in Naraku's clutches. No. He'd help her escape as well, and maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to leave the darkness that held her for so long.

The sound of his door opening caused his eyes to snap open and he turned a cold gaze on the person who had entered without knocking. Then, his expression became more mild. "Ah, Kagura." He said in a non-plussed manner.

"You're being sent to Yura of the Hair this time." She said quietly. "Naraku wills it."

Yes, Naraku would have sent her to tell him. The last person he'd sent besides her had been dissected into quite small pieces by the time the guards had realized what that cold sensation emanating from the room was. Kagura, however, was in the same situation as he, one of Naraku's 'whores', sent to various rulers to become a beast of burden or something to be used in bed.

Kagura was one of the few people he tolerated.

Naraku knew he wouldn't kill her.

"Brave of you to come tell me. But then, you couldn't say no, right?" He said, assuming a slightly bored tone of voice. Most people were more frightened of that then his anger.

"He didn't ask me to." She said quietly. "I'm worried for you. Yura is rather fond of playing with her food, you know that." She fidgeted a bit. "Naraku is hoping she'll break you."

A cold smile turned up the corners of his lips. "Perhaps he does..." He said, setting his bare feet on the cold wood floors. "But Naraku seems to have forgotten something..." He pulled the robe he wore tighter around his shoulder and stopped when he was beside her, resting a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"What is that?" She asked impatiently.

"I like to play with my food as well." He purred into her ear, then left the room with a slight, cold smile on his lips.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kagome stared out of her bedroom window, her stormy gray eyes peering across the Realm of Light. They were calling her. She could hear voices she recognized and other's she didn't calling out to her. Some, extending their hands in friendship. Other's sought guidance. Other's, these made her laugh, feared her. More still, feared for her safety.

If only they all realized that she wasn't that important.

Yes, she was certainly strong. Not that her family knew that.

The only exceptions were a few of the house hold staff, and her brother.

Souta...

She watched as a witch taught the boy how to control his abilities. He was strong. He would become even stronger. If he was unbroken when he finally reached maturity, he would be strongest in the family. But not as strong as her.

Never as strong as her.

"Kagome, dear, we only want what's best for you..." Her mother said softly. "This place helps you..."

"It does more harm than good." Kagome said coldly. Her voice was deadly, dark like midnight. She needed to go to the others. She needed to see them.

Her mother stiffened at the sound of that voice. "You brought this on yourself, with those stories! You know that! We've been warning your for months! There is no Daughter of Darkness!" The woman said, her voice cross.

The girl returned her gaze towards where her brother was learning to control the magics. She was untaught. A ball of raw talent, of ability honed from necessity. She mentally descended to the quiet darkness and ignored her mother's cross words. It wouldn't matter what her opinion was. She would be sent to that hellish place, which rested on the edge between the Realm of Light and the Shadowlands. That whorehouse that masqueraded as a hospital. The place where families sent the 'Touched' when they were 'unmanageable'.

A place she'd been in and out of for ten years.

She muttered something in a language that was part of what she was and heard her mother go silent. She looked towards the woman and saw sadness in her eyes. Her mother only wanted to help, but Meadowbrook did more harm than good. The people, the 'doctors' who ran it were closer to monsters than the demons of the Shadowlands that those humans of the Realm of Light feared. "What will you do, Mother..." She asked softly. "When the Daughter does appear?"

A hand connected with her cheek, and Kagome flinched. "There is no daughter, Kagome." The woman said softly. "And until you stop telling those wild stories, you'll just have to stay at Meadowbrook..."

Kagome watched her mother get up and walk from the room. Her voice settled into the one that was like midnight and she whispered her reply softly. "Someday you'll see..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kaede was doing her shopping in town, Miroku escorting her. Ordinarily, she would have brushed the gesture aside, but in the past few weeks, things had been growing more awkward for women who had been Touched who still lived in the Realm of Light. It actually reminded her of when she was just a girl and Midoriko had been executed.

So Miroku remained with her while she did her shopping, buying items for medicines, for ritual, for whatever they thought they might need. They'd been walking through the market for a good while, trying to ignore the discomfort people felt when dealing with those who were Touched, when something mischievous tickled at Miroku's senses.

Something mischievous and familiar.

He turned, glancing around discretely. Yes, there was something there. He could feel it. Something ancient and mysterious and youthful and mischievous. Something that distinctly reminded him of the encounter he'd had almost a week ago in the darkness.

Something brushed his arm and he looked over.

He found there, a girl, barely entering puberty, with smoky gray eyes looking up at him, twinkling. She was wearing a rather quaint dress, something that looked more like something a mother would want her daughter to wear than something he figured she'd actually clothe herself in. The dress was made of pink taffeta and cream lace, with pink bows holding those ridiculous ringlets back from her face. But those eyes held thunder and midnight and darkness. He sucked in a sharp breath.

"I know you, don't I." She said calmly, hands, clad in white lace gloves laced together in front of her. "You seem familiar."

His heart pounded in his chest, and he tried desperately to not throw his arms around her. He knelt down a bit, grinning at her. "I believe we might have met." He agreed, glancing towards where Kaede was. The woman had paused and was glancing towards them, ancient eyes wide in shock. He returned his gaze to the girl and saw her looking towards Kaede, a knowing expression on her face. "I am Miroku."

Her gaze moved back and she tasted the name. "Miroku..." She smiled. "It suits you." She said, nodding. A voice called out from not far away and her expression turned irritated. "It seems my mother is looking for me. Would you mind playing escort?" She asked easily, extending her hand.

His eyes widened in surprise. A wry grin spread across his face and he offered his arm, nodding. "Very well." He agreed. When her hand laced through and rested lightly on his arm, he felt the power surging through her. It was easy when he was as close to the darkness as he was. Idly, he wondered if anyone weaker, or touched more lightly by the Darkness would have felt anything at all.

He led her through the crowd, eyes glancing towards Kaede now and then in worry. He didn't want to leave the older woman alone, but he couldn't leave the girl either-

"You needn't worry for her. She will be safe." That voice was not a child's voice. It held the same midnight that he'd seen in her eyes. It was the voice of the one he'd heard while he was in the darkness. He glanced towards her, finding her looking at him knowingly.

"Kagome, there you are!" The voice was shrill with stress.

Miroku looked up and found a pleasant looking woman wearing a rather unpleasant expression. He immediately didn't like her. It was a natural response, he supposed, seeing the way she was reaching towards the girl like she was inferior. A light mental brush told him her power was significantly less than his own and he looked at her pointedly.

"Girl if you ever run off like that again-" She realized there was someone escorting her daughter and her mouth snapped shut. Probably a wise decision, Miroku thought. "Who are you?"

He was good at misleading people. He wanted to say something harsh to this woman, but he'd be sweet as candy if he had to be. "Ah, I'm merely a kind soul who found a young lady wandering around on her own and offered to help her find her mother." He said calmly. "It isn't safe for young ladies to wander around on their own lately." He glanced pointedly down at the girl and watched as she extracted her arm. He dropped down so he could look her in the face. Lightly, he tapped a finger against her nose. "Now you be careful from now on, Lady." He teased, seeing her eyes looking annoyed. "But if you ever find yourself in need of an escort, do give me a shout."

She grudgingly grinned up at him. "I will. Thank you, Miroku."

Her mother nudged her. "Don't act so familiar." Her mother chided.

He smiled pleasantly, restraining the urge to slap the woman for treating the girl like a mere child. "Not a problem, madam." He said calmly. He bowed politely. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go find Lady Kaede."

He turned on his heal and headed away. Meanwhile, he seethed inside. Why? Why had that woman been given someone so important as the Daughter of Darkness. Someone so precious that she should be guarded and protected.

Kagome's mother huffed. "Madam?! Do I look old enough to be called Madam and not Lady?!"

Kagome sighed softly, watching him go, wishing she could have gone with him instead. "He was just being polite." She said softly.

Her mother sniffed in disdain. "You could at least have found someone to escort you who wasn't a servant. It isn't appropriate. Now let's go."

The girl ground her teeth together and followed her mother as she was ushered into the coach. She knew where they were going now. There was only one place that her mother would take her out to go.

She was going to see Dr. Onigumo at Meadowbrook...

As the coach drove away, she found violet eyes looking at her in concern. She simply smiled a bit and waved goodbye.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_AN: Thankies to those who reviewed the last chapter. Hope this one didn't disappoint. It's likely that Inuyasha and Kagome might meet next chapter Lovies everyone to pieces, and I hope you're enjoying this. Regardless, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think 3_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: So, this idea sprung after reading The Black Jewels Trilogy for the eighth time. It's not a direct rip off, just loosely based on the Anne Bishop series. I like to think I changed it enough to make it interesting, and I hope that you all enjoy it. Arigatou gozaimasu_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

DARKNESS

_By: DemonSaya_

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Chapter 3

_A Spell at Meadowbrook_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Onigumo watched the coach arrive and watched the woman exit, followed by a young lady in pink with black ringlets held up by pink ribbons. She could be no more than twelve, young of face and fresh of body. He ran eyes eyes over her slender figure, a slight smirk on his face. She'd been there off and on since she was five years old. No one touched her for some reason which he didn't understand.

She was a lovely young thing.

Perhaps it was because her mother was in a power position in the community, but Kagome Higurashi was a fresh young flower, right for the plucking.

The girl lifted those stormy eyes and he paled slightly, any trace of libido he'd had gone instantly. Ah, this was why she was never touched. He always remembered when he saw those eyes. A child's face, but those eyes held a consciousness that was far too knowing and seeing for someone who was only twelve.

Definitely a creepy kid.

She was one of their children who was not at Meadowbrook for anything but actual medical attention. The girl was sick in the head. She really frightened most of the staff.

The other girls who lived their, however seemed to find peace in her presence.

Onigumo watched the doctor lead Kagome away and her mother stepped forward to speak to him. She didn't say goodbye to her daughter. She never said goodbye. "Ahh, Mrs. Higurashi..."

"I hate just dumping her here. She's been telling those stories again..." She made a vague gesture. "I really don't know what to do about her. I love her, but she's...difficult."

"From what I understand, most girls her age are." He said in a good natured manner. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of your little Kagome."

She nodded politely. "Very good, Onigumo. I must go. I have business that needs my attention." She turned with a swirl of navy taffeta and headed back to the waiting coach.

Onigumo watched her go. Yes, he knew well enough what stories the woman spoke of. It was part of the reason the girls were so comforted by the presence of Kagome Higurashi. She never told her stories to the psychologists, but he'd see her surrounded by the girls who were at Meadowbrook and she'd be talking to them quietly, in a soothing voice that was almost motherly. To the girls that had been abused, she would stroke their hair and whisper things in their ears.

That girl had a soothing touch, a way with other people that seemed to calm anyone. Except adults. Most adults were terrified of her, wouldn't go anywhere near her. He walked back into the hospital and headed towards the room that he'd just left.

The man who stood there was standing panting over the dead bodies of two peasant girls. They were half naked and had been beaten to death. Onigumo looked on with pleasant interest. "You didn't enjoy them?" He asked, arching an eyebrow and leaning against the door.

The man turned towards him. "The bitch hit me." He snarled.

"Very well. I'll call the cook in. Excuse me." Then, he went to go find the person who would help in disposing of the bodies.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Inuyasha sat back in the chair, staring out the window while Yura recovered. The bitch. Every one of them had raped him mentally and emotionally until he felt as though he had nothing clean left to offer. He felt cold deep down. He dare not break the witch on the bed as long as he wore the ring. Doing so resulted in pain that he didn't care to think about. The ring that presently the bitch on the bed controlled.

"I must say...you are the wisest investment I've ever made..." Yura smiled seductively. When the demon who sat across the room didn't even look at her, she felt irritation surge through her.

"Would you indeed?" He asked coldly.

She sat, looking at him. "Don't you need some relief of your own?"

He scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous." He stood, tying his robe closed. His only consolation in all these years being used as a whore was that they couldn't use him for sex. He could make them feel like they were having sex without touching them, and that's what he did. He pleased them, but never touched them. These little bitch rulers that Naraku favored. "If you're finished, I'm going back to my quarters." He said, his voice cold.

She glared at him. "It would appear that what everyone is saying is true. Even that." She gestured at his hips with a pale hand. The nails on it were painted blood red. "It's just a useless hunk of meat. Naraku should give you to the Coven and have you shaved!"

He looked at her, leaning towards her. He watched as her breath quickened and her lips parted. "Naraku wont have me shaved." He said confidently. "It's hard to sell damaged merchandise." Then, he straightened and walked out of the room, smiling pleased when he heard the temper tantrum that was being thrown behind the door. Ah, it was so delightful to see the fury they felt.

He walked to his room and looked out across the black night. The air was cool, but he didn't mind. He could smell the forest and it covered up the disgusting scent of whatever perfume Yura had used in an attempt to entice him. He was tired of waiting, of being passed from person to person like a whore. Yura had been right, however. It didn't matter who he was with, he did not get an erection. They dare not use any drugs to entice him into bed. The last women who had tried hadn't survived, and he'd disappeared briefly afterwards.

But he'd always had to return.

Because that bastard Naraku had Izayoi, the only real light he'd found in the Shadowlands. She had given him hope year after year that he'd been stuck here. It had been weeks since that prophecy, weeks of time that he'd been here, playing the whore, hoping that Yura and Naraku would let their guard down. He knew that soon he'd have to go inside and bathe, to truly remove the scent of the bitch off his skin. For now, he just wanted to think.

Idly, he wondered what _she_ would be like. Would she mind terribly that he'd been used as such, or that he wasn't pure or clean or good? He wouldn't show the side of himself that he showed to others. There was another side that those he served didn't see. The side that made brews to help ease the discomfort of a woman's moon cycle or one that he would sneak into a males drink or food to keep him from using anyone that night.

To keep more witches from suffering the pain that Izayoi had. Men in the Shadowlands sometimes didn't have a problem with finding a tender young Witch, fresh into her powers and slipping under her mental barriers, shattering her powers, her body, and sometimes her mind as well. As was the case with the woman who'd cared for him until he was able to defend himself, then finally succumbed to the darkness that had been dragging her down since Naraku had broken her.

"Mother night..." He cursed softly, running a hand through his silver hair and untangling a few snarls that Yura had managed to tangle into his hair prior to him doing his job. He had set her on the bed and stayed as far away from her as was possible while doing what he had to do.

Had to do.

He snarled, descending slightly into the most shallow levels of darkness. _How I hate it here..._

_You're an angry one._

He blinked, freezing. Someone was speaking to him. Someone who was deeper in the darkness than he himself was. He shivered slightly, descending a bit deeper. _I figure I have a right to be._

_That's okay. I'm angry too._ The voice belonged to a child he could tell, but there was something about it that made him ache. It paused, and he could almost feel the presence of whoever was with him in the darkness. _Do they hurt you?_

He didn't know what to say. He could feel small hands on his shoulders and desperately wanted to see the face that went with it. _In a manner of speaking..._

_They hurt lots of people where I am. So I hide here. Is that why you're here?_

His eyes widened. It wasn't safe for just anyone to descend into the Darkness, and the further one went, the greater the risk that you wouldn't come back. Descending to hide was almost insane. _Yes._ He agreed. _It's not safe here for little cats, though._ He warned gently. _Bad people can go into the darkness, too._

_It's okay. I can go deep enough no one can find me._

He shuddered at that statement. _Daughter of Darkness..._

A laugh. _I know that story. My mother tells me it's just a myth. _There was something dark and angry in that voice, under that innocent laugh.

_I'm a believer._ He said, wishing he could really touch her. It was her. She was right there, in the Darkness with him. That knowledge made him long to stay there. _Because she exists._

The girl went silent. Those hands moved to his face and he could almost feel as though he were being scrutinized. Then, something pressed against his cheek and he realized it was her lips. It was a childish kiss, a child's kiss._ Thank _you...The voice whispered softly.

Then, she was gone and Inuyasha was thrown from the comfort of the Darkness abruptly and back into the hateful reality. He cursed viciously and closed his eyes, fisting his hands against the railing. For a few short moments, he'd been free, free of Naraku, free of everything, and he was being touched by something that felt pure and dark and wonderful. "The Daughter of Darkness..." He whispered, closing his eyes tightly. Then, they opened slowly.

He had to get the hell out of here.

He had to find out where she was. He had to find her.

But until then, he could descend each night and take comfort in the fact that he was closer to where she was, even if he couldn't feel her there.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The party was a travesty.

Sango had decided that long before it had ever started, watching as they set out tray upon tray of food, most of it things that her parents would never have served. She watched the preparations from high above, at the top of the stairs. She remained there even after guests started arriving.

She knew how this party would go.

Like all the other's did.

Sango Tanaka lived with her uncle, not by choice. Her parents had died years ago, partially due to actions that her uncle took in order to gain control of the family, and as a result, the families sizable territory. Unfortunately for her, who was actually the heir, she could not get control back until she was eighteen, still five years away, and even more unfortunately, he would likely have her killed or married off by then.

She ground her teeth together as she watched her father's new lover shout orders as though she were actually someone important. The woman was wrapped in expensive silks, at odds with the coarse wool pants Sango wore and the soft cotton men's shirt. They were clothes that she'd bartered off one of the male servants around the time she started developing breasts at age ten, and hadn't looked back since.

A few people who were outside the immediate family believed that she was forced to wear those as an insult to her and her parents.

Sango smirked a bit. She wore these garments because it kept hands from attempting to grope her up her skirt.

One can't try to feel you up if you're dressed like a man.

The biggest advantage was that the men who were older than her, the ones that had been starting to try to stuff their hands up her skirt, couldn't tell she was a girl anymore. She kept her hair tied up on her head, wore boy's clothes and usually was covered in dirt. These clothes suited her better than those silks, anyways. They suited her better the same reason they usually suited girls who had been Touched.

It's a lot easier to deal with trash that try to hurt you if you're dressed in a way that you can kick the crap out of them before they can touch you.

She fingered a cuff on her baggy white shirt and sighed.

Things were getting antsy in the Realm of Light. Things had been getting more and more antsy over time. It was like the taint that was prevalent in the Shadowlands was seeping over into this realm and things were turning to shit.

A strong hand rested on her shoulder and ordinarily she would have come unglued.

But she knew this hand. She turned, grinning at her younger brother, Kohaku. He was barely eleven, and already stood level at her shoulder. "You see his new trophy slut?" She quipped, gesturing down to the ground level. "I wonder if I should spill punch on her fur at dinner."

"Wouldn't do any good." Kohaku huffed. "He'd just buy her another." He shook his head, frowning. "So, besides her, what's wrong?"

Sango sighed, looking towards her brother. He would know something was wrong with her. She was the only member of the family she was close enough to that she dared drop her guard in his presence. "To be honest?" She asked. "I haven't heard from Kagome in more than a week. I bet that awful family of hers sent her back to that quack mental hospital..." She fisted her hands against the hand rail. "How can she stay there when they treat her like that?!"

Kohaku gently patted her shoulder. He knew of Kagome, though he'd never had an opportunity to meet her. They remained quiet about the visits, so that their uncle wouldn't learn that another Daughter had been born onto this plane and walked among them once again.

The Daughter of Darkness was a story their mother had told years ago, before she had died. They had become enthralled by the idea that someone could actually walk through the Darkness and not become Lost. They used to pretend that they served her, until their parents died and they'd almost lost hope.

Within a week, Sango had met Kagome.

It was a good thing, too, because Kagome had been the thing that kept Sango cool-headed even when the boys around them had started behaving more like animals and less like men. Kohaku could remember the first meal when a boy had tried to feel his big sister up.

She'd pulled the knife from the steak on her plate, grabbed the unfortunate boy's hair and pressed the blade against his throat and told him that if he ever set hand on her again, she'd ritualistically disembowel him and they'd have him for dinner.

That didn't scare any one. What freaked everyone out was that she'd said it as calmly as though she were discussing the weather.

Kohaku mentally cackled with malicious glee. No one touched his sister unless they really weren't concerned with living to their next birthday.

Sango sighed softly, drawing his attention back to her. "I miss her." She said sadly. She looked towards her brother, her strange purple eyes showing her sadness. The sign that she'd been Touched at birth. People who were Touched at birth tended to have unusual eyes. His own were brown, the color he'd been born with. Their mother's had been blue, and Sango's purple.

Their father's had been brown as well, but he and Kohaku were boys, and usually boys were Touched later in life.

"I'm going to make a descent tonight." She said abruptly. "I'll go as deep as I can and see if I can reach her. Sometimes, when I do that, I can almost feel her." She looked towards her younger brother, grinning. "Maybe I'll find some other interesting characters in the Darkness as well." She straightened, heading towards the stairs, dusting off her shirt. "After all, we can't be the only ones who intend to serve her."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Miroku was getting worried. He hadn't seen her in the market in days and now, when he made his nightly descent; of course with Kaede holding tightly to his hand so that he wouldn't slip away; he hadn't felt her either. He had gone down each night and called out to her, but she wasn't answering.

Sometimes, however, he got a rather coarse response from deep in the darkness to shut the hell up because some people were trying to relax.

He stared out the window at the darkening sky and stood, grabbing his traveling cloak and wrapped it around himself. His walking stick rested beside the door, more for protection than for assistance. It would be time to make a descent soon, so he needed to get to Kaede's.

There was something about that voice he'd been encountering, a strength that was too dark to be average, too deep to merely be touched. It was a familiar feeling, but he hadn't placed where he recognized it from just yet. He presumed that within one or two more encounters, he'd know for certain. He raised the hood of his cloak and walked outside, humming softly under his breath.

He was just outside Kaede's home when he felt a strange tug on his mind. Someone else was descending.

He rushed inside, threw the cloak off and the walking stick aside and immediately descended, hoping against hope that it was who he thought it was. He scarcely heard Kaede's warning before her hand wrapped around his, preventing the free fall into the Darkness that would have left him a broken mind. He descended as deep as he could, searching for some sign of her presence. _Kagome!_

Something, a consciousness brushed against his in curiosity. A vaguely husky voice came to him, but it wasn't the midnight voice he'd hoped for. _You know her as well? You call her by name, so you must know her, too._

His eyes snapped wide, and he looked around the murky darkness. _Who are you...?_ This mind was as dark as his, maybe a bit more so. The power went just a tad deeper, but it wasn't the one who felt familiar. No, this one was a female power. He could almost put a face with that voice.

An abrupt laugh. It wasn't amused. _I am her friend. Who are you?_

He contemplated that question. He could lie, he was used to lying to the voices he heard in the darkness. Yet, he couldn't find it in himself to do so. There was something about this voice. A child on the cusp of womanhood, someone he would likely meet later in life, who could cause him great deals of trouble if he wasn't truthful. _I am Miroku. I am her escort._

Escort, a term for someone in the inner circle of someone important. The title for someone important. Not someone who was born a peasant, who had no scrape of money to their name. But the title rang in him. He didn't want anything more than to serve her in such an aspect. Protect and serve. The words echoed through him like an impression, but he hadn't sent out an impression.

There was a feeling of faint approval from the other mind._ Have you felt her? Is she here?_

_I haven't felt her._ He admitted. He was deeply worried about that. _If she's here, she's too deep for me to reach without..._He stopped himself. He didn't know this mind. Why was he letting so much of himself be known to her?

There was a long pause and they just remained side by side in the darkness. _You shouldn't descend so fast, you could get stuck in the Darkness._

He wanted to laugh. He could get stuck in the Darkness. But at least he'd be closer to the Daughter. _I'm not afraid of the Darkness._ He said calmly. He felt the shock, and then the approval.

_Good. It wouldn't do for the Daughter of Darkness to have an escort who was afraid of the Dark._ The voice quipped and then, he was once again alone in the darkness.

He remained hanging in space for a brief time, considering leaving, but something compelled him to remain for a bit longer.

It was good that he did.

Just as he was preparing to ascend, he felt someone slip past him, barely noticeable, a mind that was familiar. A mind that he'd run into frequently in the darkness. It was cold, rude, and abrupt. It was also darker than he was. A great deal darker. He felt it sink beneath him, swallowed in the darkness.

That was when he realized how he recognized the feel.

It felt the same as a demon whom he had periodically encountered in the darkness. A demon known as the Demon Lord. The one called Inutaisho. A dark soul who was over a thousand years old, who had lived through the birth of the last Daughter. The one Kaede had said would handle most of the girl's training.

He ascended slowly, deciding that attempting to pursue into depths that he couldn't handle would be beyond stupid. When he finally left the black depths of his mind, he looked towards Kaede. "The hanyou lives." He said softly. "And he will serve."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_AN: So, I've got two chapters out, and have had little to no response. I have come to this conclusion. I absolutely suck at summaries. Anyways, to those who have opened this story, thanks. To those who've favorited or put it on alert, thanks even more. To those of you who have taken the time and left a review, a million thankies. Here's some response to you guys..._

_HanyouAngel: I'm glad you like it. Yes, Sango is in this. As to why Miroku is not playing the part of a lech in this, at the beginning of this story, Kagome is only in the beginning of puberty, as in, about twelve years old. Miroku, however, is a fully grown male. That would be kind of creepy. Seeing as Inuyasha is also a fully grown male at the moment, I didn't really think about starting off and diving right in with the relationship. I hope what I did didn't disappoint._

_Kokoronagomu: First, I recommend reading the original. Second, it's not really in a different time so much as a different world. It's hard to explain. I'm glad you like how I portray Inuyasha. I've had to borrow his personality from several characters from the book to get the right feel of it. I actually feel horribly guilty writing Mrs. Higurashi as an intolerant witch, but I don't really have a choice. I may give her a change of heart later, tho..._

_beccajo: I think you're the only person whose read the Anne Bishop series whose opened this yet. I'm glad you like this, and I hope it lives up to your expectations, and the original 3_

_RoseInuYasha: Glad you like, and yes, I plan on having a few plot twists. LOL I'll probably also wind up rewriting this until I'm actually happy with the whole thing. If that ever happens o.o;_

_LadyCash: I'm glad you like it, and yes, I would highly recommend any book written by her, she is brilliant, and the worlds she creates are amazing. She's written three series so far, and I've yet to be disappointed yet. They are, however rather extensive novels (each of her books is around five hundred pages, and the Black Jewels Trilogy is about 1500 total...)._

_Aoieyedpheonix21: Thank you very much, and I'm very glad you enjoy them._


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: I took a brief break from writing in general, mostly due to the fact that my husbands home from Iraq :Happy Dance: But besides that, I'm bogged down with stuff to do. I reread the old chapters today and caught some errors I'll fix as soon as possible. Enjoy the rather gruesome death at the end. Yay for Offal and frozen blood._

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DARKNESS

_By: DemonSaya_

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Chapter 4

_When One Goes Cold_

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She had finished the spell the night before. Ayumi, a friend who would stay there for the rest of her natural life had volunteered to be it's anchor. Every other patient at Meadowbrook had offered a bit of themselves for the spell.

To each at Meadowbrook: You will get what you've given.

All it would take to trigger the spell would be one drop of her blood to fall at the hospital.

It was a clever trap. She'd spent her last days there perfecting it.

The next time she was sent, she would add the knowledge from those who longed to teach her, those who wanted to know her. She suspected Sango would appreciate the cold edge of her spell. Perhaps they all would, even those who were caught in it.

Now, she stood, flanked by two doctors, watching her mother and grandfather come up the stairs for her. She kept a gentle bite on her tongue, to keep from saying something she may regret. Power was something she had, she knew that. Knowledge was something she had as well, after spending weeks and weeks at her mother's home perusing the library when everyone else was in bed.

After all, they didn't know she was the Daughter.

They didn't believe.

They weren't like the male she met in the Darkness.

They weren't like Miroku, the one she'd met at the market.

They weren't like Sango or Kohaku.

She kept the neutral mask in place, and walked down the stairs mechanically towards them. It took a great deal of effort to conceal the limp from the beatings. There was nothing she could do to hide the bruise on her face, or the painfully thin limbs.

It was always like this.

She couldn't eat at the place. The food wasn't safe. Even if you tested it, there was no way to be certain that it wasn't drugged. When she returned home, she needed to go to her garden. She needed to make a few transplants. In remembrance. For those who had died at her time there.

For those who had been murdered by the uncles.

The ghosts of the dead girls were watching her. She didn't look at them, lest her mother notice and make her remain. She had to leave. She needed knowledge that couldn't be found in books. She needed to see Miroku and the old woman. They would know where she could go to get this knowledge she needed to finish the spell. The knowledge to give justice to those who needed it. To help the girls go to their rest.

When she reached her mother, she allowed the older woman to wrap her arms around her, leaning into the embrace but not returning it. She loved her mother, but her mother was the one who'd sent her there. When her mother pushed her away and searched her face, she didn't smile. She didn't even say hello. Instead, she turned to the 'doctors'. They were more of the uncles.

They leered at her in a way she figured was meant to be comforting.

She wasn't afraid of them. She could slip beneath their barriers and drag them into the Darkness of the Abyss before they'd even know she was there. She was afraid of what they'd do to the others. To Ayumi, her friend. To Souta if she ever left home. After a moment, she turned, looking back at her mother. "I'm ready." She said calmly.

Her mother frowned. "You could at least say hello." She chided, herding her into the coach. "Or thank you to the doctors..."

"I wont thank them for this." Kagome said, her voice deathly quiet.

The woman paused, glancing at her, then huffed. "Kagome, don't be so dramatic." She said evenly. "They told me it happened during a fit."

"And I'm put away for making up stories?" She asked bitingly. Then, she turned her gaze to the coaches small window and looked out, completely ignoring the two other people in the coach. Instead, she allowed herself to slowly rise out of the darkness, where her mind was sheltered. As she rose, she brushed against familiar minds, letting them know all was well. The other minds were deep enough that her mother wouldn't notice the psychic brush, and Kagome knew better than to touch the minds of her friends who drifted through the shallowest depths of the darkness.

It was too easy for the bad ones to feel her.

As she rose, she felt flashes of recognition, some wary, some longing. Some familiar, others not.

"We've missed you." Her grandfather said, trying to coax her into conversation. His ancient face was warm, welcoming. "How do you feel?"

Resentful. Angry. Like spiraling into the darkness, away from them. She didn't say that. "Fine." She lied. It was what they wanted to hear. She had to tell them that. She had no choice. She needed knowledge.

The coach rolled onward.

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Inutaisho rubbed his temples, looking over the paperwork his oldest son had brought for him. His reading glasses had long since been tossed away, the headache long since settling down around the base of his skull. His silvery hair had since been released from where he usually kept it tied back to ease the pressure, and he'd dimmed the lights down as much as he could without completely blacking out the room.

It had been two months since that message from Kaede. Two months since the knowledge of the Daughter had reached those who would help her.

He hadn't been idle in that time.

He had been doing extensive research about the last daughter, the things which had brought about her fall. He wasn't entirely surprised to find that during his reign as 'Demon Lord', he'd been a little tied up in demon matters to notice things that were going on in the realm of light. Now he was beginning to regret his inattention. Centuries of events that he didn't even realized happened on his watch.

The persecution of the touched.

The burning of the Daughter of Darkness.

The 'cleansing'.

Things he could have prevented if he'd looked up from his own job and took the step beyond.

"Hell's fire..." He mumbled, rubbing his temples. Thinking was giving him a headache.

"Indeed."

Inutaisho looked up from the doorway, finding his eldest son standing there, a mild expression on his face. A sinking sensation formed in the pit of his stomach. "Yes? Has something happened?"

Sesshoumaru frowned, stepping in. "Besides Naraku sending him to serve Yura of the Hair?" He shrugged in a non-committal way. "There's been no news, but the humans are getting anxious..." He glanced meaningfully towards his father. "Those who have been touched are heading towards the border."

He sighed softly, nodding. "Very-" A scent caught his attention and he frowned. "Was there someone with you, Sesshoumaru?!" His son shook his head and sniffed the air. Inutaisho got to his feet, wincing as his bad leg twinged in pain. "Then what is that smell..." He threw open the door to his office and found himself staring at...nothing?

"Down here."

His gaze lowered further and he found a bright eyed young lady standing there, wearing a blue silk dress, soft black hair in ridiculous ringlets, held up by pale blue satin ribbons. How in the hell had a child gotten into his home, much less into the Shadowlands?! The girl had a surprisingly dim-witted appearance, but one could never be too certain. Cautiously, he sunk to his knees bringing himself down to eye-level with the girl. He glanced at his older son, who was dumbstruck. A rare occurrence for the demon. "Are you lost, miss?"

Those bright blue eyes changed colors quickly. They turned to hardened sapphires and he felt the wind knocked from his lungs. _Daughter!_ He realized, feeling the faintest tremor run through him.

"You called me." She said simply. Her voice was thunder and midnight and lightening and it seared him from his head to his toes. She glanced back at Sesshoumaru, tilting her head to the side. "You did, too."

Inutaishou heard his son's startled gasp and took a steadying breath. "Indeed it would seem so..." He said quietly. Daughter of Darkness. May the Darkness have mercy on him. He rose unsteadily to his feet, bowing at the waist. "Lady."

She blushed, then snorted in a most un-'lady' like fashion. Then, giggles escaped her. "You are the Demon Lord, right?" She tilted her head to the side, her eyes in that dim-witted expression once again. "Why are you bowing to me?"

He felt thunderstruck. Didn't she realize what, no WHO she was?! Why was he bowing?! Lord help him. "Perhaps it's a little odd for someone my age to be bowing to a youth?" When she grinned broader, he relaxed. "Very well, witchling, I called and here you are..." What to say about this...

"The impressions from the men in this family are very strong..." She swept into the room, looking at the paintings in interest, but when she noticed the books that practically covered his walls and desk, a strange hunger filled her eyes. "Miroku and Kaede's as well...Stronger than most of my friends..." She looked towards him. There was a curious expression on her face. "Why do you look so surprised?" She asked quietly.

He forced himself to think before he answered. "I don't get many visitors." He admitted, shrugging. "And I never get ones that are barely up to my waist." Watched her grin and turn away, browsing his books, walking past his oldest son, who still didn't look like he'd caught his breath.

"You have a lot of craft books..." She noted, her fingers lightly brushing over the ancient volumes. "Do you know a lot?"

"You could say that..." He said dryly.

"Could you teach me?" There was something in her voice. Something terrifying. He shivered when her knowing eyes pinned him. "Will you teach me?"

He arched a fine eye-brow. "I believe Lady Kaede would be rather perturbed if I stole a student she'd been waiting 500 years for...But I suppose I could teach you a few things..." Things Kaede couldn't. The old woman was a gifted instructor, due to her ability to prevent her students from free-falling into darkness, but her well of power wasn't as deep as this child's. Even he didn't have any guess of how deep the girl's went. "How much basic craft do you know now?"

There was something unmistakable in her eyes. Hurt. Barely masked. He'd deal with it. He'd help her. Any way he could. When he'd first mated Izayoi, she'd told him of the return of the daughter. Before Naraku took her captive, and tore the woman he loved apart.

"I've never been taught." She said quietly. "They say I have no talent."

He blinked in surprise. "No talent..." He snorted, an echo of the one he'd heard from her earlier. He looked towards his oldest son. "Contact Lady Kaede..." He said gently, more so the boy would leave the room.

A look of rebellion crossed his oldest son's face but he maintained a firm expression. He understood his son's reluctance. After a moment, with those knowing ancient eyes looking on, his son bowed shortly and left the room. When the door was shut firmly behind the boy, Inutaishou moved towards the girl, sitting in the leather armchair. "Lady, sometimes talent comes from different sources, shows itself in different ways." He waved a hand. "Some are born Touched, other's are touched later, and no two peoples well of power reaches the same depth..." He saw a smile on her face and smiled as well. "But you already knew that, didn't you..." He chucked her chin.

Such a rare kind of eye. They changed with the emotions of the girl. When she nodded, he smiled broadly. "Well, then witchling, lets find out how deep your well goes."

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He'd have to go back inside eventually. Back to the stink of a woman he cared nothing for. Back to being used like a toy. He wasn't certain how much longer he could take being used as he was. A year? Two? The day would come eventually when he'd finally unleash his rage and take out everyone and everything that got in his way. He'd spare Kagura. She'd been kind to him, another whore, like him. Someone who understood the emotional agony of being used as they were.

A sister to his soul as it were.

Which amused him, considering she was the spawn of the man who claimed to be his father.

How laughable.

Someday, he'd rip free of these chains that bound him, destroy the ring that kept him from being what a demon touched by the Darkness should be. He'd destroy Naraku with his own hands. Somehow, he'd do it.

Suddenly, intense pain ripped through him and he collapsed holding a hand over the ring the pain originated from. He kept his teeth ground tightly together, refusing to let that bitch Yura have the pleasure of hearing him scream. It felt like fire. Like lightning, like a red-hot poker being pressed against his cock. The pain continued for several minutes until it receded, leaving a dark burning cold in his limbs.

Slowly, Inuyasha climbed to his feet, his black tinted claws digging into his palm. The fires of anger had been quenched by cold, burning icy cold. That cold emanated from his body, coating the balcony in a sheet of brittle ice. He smiled a cruel smile and headed inside to entertain the Lady Yura. One...last...time...

He still felt that blissful cold as he entered the 'Lady's' room, still felt it as she started playing her game with him. Before she realized it, however he'd changed the rules on her. In the end, she was screaming in pleasure, and then she was screaming for release from the pain.

The pain would end eventually. And he'd stand there and watch it. As the last spark of life died from her eyes, he'd finish the kill, snuffing out her life. She wanted to play with him, he would meet her on the field, and he'd be the only one to walk off.

He watched as her body contorted from the pain and smiled a cold, cruel smile.

He created a bubble shield around himself as her torso split and arterial blood sprayed around the room. So cold, so much cold...The blood froze instantly, bouncing in harmless beads on the floor. She continued screaming. He continued to smile.

She lay there, surrounded by her own offal, pain in her eyes. "Why...?" It was more of a liquid sound, much more pleasing to the ear than her normal voice, which was too high-pitched. As though she was trying to be enticing, and fall miserably short.

He reached out with his power, wrapping her in it, watching lust glaze those eyes. Even mostly dead, she still wanted him. How pathetic. "Because I detest everything you stand for..." Then he smashed through her mind, leaving her an empty shell that once was a witch.

He straightened his tie, walking out of the room. The chill followed him. As he walked through the halls, the house behind him began to catch fire. It would burn all night. He closed his eyes, listening to the panicking people trying to get everyone they could out of the house.

Good.

Most of them had done nothing to him. He would disappear for awhile. But in the end, he'd be back at Naraku's Villa.

Because that's where Izayoi was.

He couldn't leave her there.

But soon they'd both be free.

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_Authors Notes: It's been awhile since I update, and It's not much of an update, but it's what I managed today between screaming babies, and stuff. I reread previous chapters and noted several errors in the continuum that I'll go through and fix as soon as possible. As of this point, who knows what I'm doing. LOL Anyways, hope you enjoy. Hope the death of Yura wasn't too graphic for anyone. XD I enjoyed it. B deserved it, too. Hope Inuyasha didn't scare anyone. More stuff later. Have fun, minna-chan!_


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